


A Little Distraction

by Evie_adams273



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Anger, Bruising, Other Worlds, Pain, Recovery, face - Freeform, i don't normally write in this style, im running out of tags, neck, pain looking back, really hope you like, references to the past, someone should give them therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-08-13 15:47:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20176804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evie_adams273/pseuds/Evie_adams273
Summary: The morning after returning from 1981, Scorpius is still incredibly jumpy and nervous around his dad, and Draco asks him what's happened.





	A Little Distraction

**Author's Note:**

> So I don't normally write in this style. Hope it's decent. It's quite an addictive style. I keep slipping into it by mistake.

The first morning after is a shock to Scorpius’ system. He wakes up at the normal time, having slept deeply, and he somehow manages to make it to getting dressed before the realisation of what has happened fully hits him. And once it has, he collapses back onto his bed, unable to do anything other than sit and stare at the wall, his mind clouding with uncontrollable thoughts.

He doesn’t know how long he sits there, staring forwards because he can’t do anything else, letting his mind scream because it’s the closest he can come to relief. Letting himself fall because he doesn’t know how to stop it from happening.

He doesn’t hear the door creak open, and when a hand lands on his shoulder softly, he shrieks in fear, scrambling away as quickly as possible, only to find himself staring back at his dad.  
“Sorry,” he mutters.  
“Don’t be,” Draco says gently. “Are you okay?”  
“No,” Scorpius shake his head. “No. I just…no.”  
“It’s okay,” Draco says, coming towards him slowly. “You’ve been through a lot.”

Scorpius nods, reluctantly accepting the hand offered to help him stand up. The questions will start soon and he isn’t ready to answer them. He isn’t ready to explain why he is still so terrified, so wary, so on-edge, to the person who hasn’t caused it.

And has. At the same time.

He shakes himself a couple of times, starting to walk towards the door. His dad follows him, just a little way behind, and Scorpius tries not to flinch too much. As he gets a little more used to it, it gets a little easier. A little.

He sits down in the lounge when he gets downstairs, his movements more instinctive than planned, and his dad sits down in the chair next to him.  
“I don’t want to go back to – back there – yet,” he mumbles. “I’m not ready to go back.”  
“I understand,” Draco nods. “It’s okay.”  
“But Albus,” Scorpius can’t speak at more than a murmur. “Can I see Albus?”  
“Of course,” Draco says. “Do you want some tea?”

Scorpius nods, staring into space again. It isn’t that the particular spot on the fireplace is particularly interesting, simply that he doesn’t want his mind to wander. He can’t let his mind wander. Letting his mind wander means he will end up in the same place as he always does.

Or maybe it will be different now. Maybe it will be different now that he has an entirely new set of fears and terrors to keep him company. Maybe it will be worse.

It isn’t likely to be better.

These are the thoughts that run around his head for a long time, until he becomes aware that footsteps are echoing in behind him. He doesn’t realise this, however, quickly enough to not jump several feet when a hand lands on his shoulder. He stops himself sooner this time, muttering an apology.  
“Are you okay, Scorpius?” Draco sits down in his chair again.  
“Yeah,” Scorpius doesn’t look up, taking the tea. “Thank you.”

He sips the tea, not stopping when it scalds his mouth. It’s just another distraction. It’s a good distraction.  
“Scorpius,” Draco says quietly. “Do you want to talk?”  
“No,” Scorpius shakes his head, “no, it’s fine. I just…time…I need time.”  
“I know,” Draco murmurs. “I know.”

Scorpius takes a deep breath, running his hand over the back of his neck. It aches slightly, but it is another distraction. Another good distraction.  
“Scorpius?”

Scorpius doesn’t reply.

“Scorpius, what’s that on the back of your neck?”

Scorpius freezes, pulling his shirt up slightly. He has a reasonable idea of what it is. He knows why he probably has bruises on the back of his neck. But he isn’t going to say.  
“Scorpius, are those bruises on your neck?”

No response.

“They’re on your face as well.”

Again, no response.

“Scorpius, did she do this to you?”

Scorpius shakes his head.

“Did something happen when you got back from – there?”

He shakes his head a second time.

“Did – Scorpius, did I do this to you?”

He doesn’t want to answer. He doesn’t want to act like it’s his dad’s fault. But he doesn’t want to lie. Lying is almost worse.

So he nods.

“The other you,” he mumbles.  
“I did this to you?”  
“No. Not really. Not _you_. Him.”  
“I’m so sorry, Scorpius. I’m so sorry.”  
“You didn’t do anything. It was him. Not you.”

Draco puts a hand out slowly and Scorpius looks up at him. Draco moves to put an arm around him, moving slowly so that Scorpius has an opportunity to move away. He doesn’t, moving a little closer instead.  
“It was my fault,” he mutters. “It was my fault that I got hurt.”  
“I refuse to believe that.”  
“I made – him – I made him angry. I should have kept quiet.”  
“No,” Draco says firmly. “It wasn’t your fault.”

Scorpius wants to retort that his dad doesn’t even know what happened, that he probably doesn’t understand, but something stops him. Fear stops him.

He pulls up his shirt again, trying to cover the bruising on the back of his neck, but he’s well-aware that it also travels up to the side of his face. Draco takes his hand gently, stroking the back of his head with his free hand. Scorpius moves away at that. That’s too close. That’s a reminder.  
“I got angry,” he croaks. “I thought I could let my guard down but then I got angry.”

There is a silence and Scorpius feels everything started to build up in his chest. He can’t keep this in anymore. He can’t keep the fear locked up and it doesn’t matter who it comes out to. Not anymore. Not when it’s going to make his head implode to keep holding on.  
“I thought,” he starts slowly, “that I was going to die when they took me to the Ministry.”

Silence.

“And then I saw him and I thought that I could let my guard down, just a little. Because he was my dad and he loved me so it would be okay. And because I couldn’t keep hiding for much longer. Three days – three days is a long time.”  
“Did I – he – hurt you for that?”  
“No. I got hurt because I got angry. I got angry at the world and I made sure that he knew. And then I mentioned mum.”

Scorpius feels his eyes start to swim with tears and he moves to put the tea down as his hands begin to shake. However, there’s nowhere to put it and the shaking overwhelms him before Draco can take it. He doesn’t really react as the cup tumbles onto the carpet, the tea spilling everywhere. It doesn’t matter.

And then he slips onto the floor, starting to cry properly. Draco sits with him, starting to take his hand. Scorpius moves closer to him, allowing himself to be enveloped in a hug that he does need. It takes a moment to reach past the fear, but once it’s temporarily gone, he can hold on as he cries. He has his dad. Not someone who hurts him, not someone he’s scared of. His dad.  
“Scorpius.”

Scorpius looks up at him.

“I want you to know that I will never, ever, do anything to hurt you. I love you more than anything in the world. You are the most important person in my life. I will not let you get hurt by anyone.”  
“I know,” Scorpius nods. “I know. It just…I’m still scared.”  
“I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it.  
Kudos and comments much appreciated.  
Twitter/Wattpad @evieadams273


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